ThinkPad X1 Tablet (2017)

Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Tablet (2017) does little to differentiate itself from the company’s first-generation X1 Tablet, and we’re generally okay with that. Lenovo kept what we liked most—the comfy kickstand, fingerprint reader, and modular accessories—but upgraded the new 12-inch ThinkPad X1 Tablet with an Intel Kaby Lake chip to bring it in line with the competition.

The ThinkPad brand is equated with no-nonsense business machines, and the X1 Tablet offers a host of useful checkbox items like front and rear cameras, an SD card slot, and the traditional TrackPoint nubbin, which should appeal to ThinkPad fans. But those features might not be enough to silence the call of emerging, stylish rivals like the Samsung Galaxy Book, which offers better battery life, and at a lower price. Let’s be clear: The new X1 Tablet is a competent two-in-one. But the competition has improved, and for that reason we’re knocking the second-generation X1 Tablet’s score down a half-star from its predecessor.

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The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet’s keyboard is actually a second-generation model, though you’ll have to look closely to notice the changes.

Modest specs, but solid workmanship

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that ThinkPads are known for. Compared to its predecessor, it’s almost imperceptibly thicker at 11.47 x 8.25 x 0.55 inches with the keyboard attached. It weighs 2.38 pounds with the keyboard and 1.66 pounds without. The X1 achieves a nice balance between structural rigidity and maneuverability, allowing you to easily reposition the device, from desktop to lap, say, without it ever feeling clunky or awkward. Overall, Lenovo’s build quality seems as sound as ever.

It’s worth noting a small upgrade outside the X1, however: Though both generations of X1 Tablets use USB-C for charging, Lenovo abandoned the “wall wart” plug of its first X1 in favor of the two-piece power brick used by most laptops. It’s now much easier to fit into a power strip.

While USB-C is used for power delivery to the 36 watt-hour battery, expansion comes via a single USB 3.0 port, as well as a Mini DisplayPort connector for an external monitor. Don’t forget about the MiniSD card slot hiding underneath the kickstand, either. For security, there’s both a Kensington lock port as well as the integrated fingerprint reader to the right side of the tablet. If you’d like, WWAN capabilities are available for an additional $220, though we didn’t test that feature.

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The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet hides a MicroSD card slot underneath the kickstand. Two screws also offer entry to its innards.

Lenovo includes a 12-inch IPS 10-point touch display with the somewhat odd resolution of 2160x1440. The display is pleasingly bright, pumping out 385 nits of luminance in our tests. While it won’t deliver the richness of, say, the OLED screen on the Samsung Galaxy Book, it’s sufficient.

The starting price for the new X1 Tablet is $1,304; the version Lenovo provided us for review is priced at $1,547.10. That includes the keyboard as well as the ThinkPad Pen Pro.

A decent typing experience

Though the Lenovo X1 tablet and keyboard are shipped as a single unit, Lenovo refers to the keyboard as the ThinkPad X1 Tablet Thin Keyboard Gen 2, as opposed to the first-generation keyboard that shipped with the original X1 Tablet.

Though I was unable to perform a side-by-side comparison with the first-gen X1, my impression this time around was of a keyboard that feels slightly springy and hollow, like walking down a hallway framed with plywood, not concrete. There's perceptible flex. Lenovo uses the dual magnetic-hinge approach that Microsoft does with its Surface tablets to hold the tablet and keyboard together securely, even on the lap.

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The kickstand on the Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Tablet is still the best: comfortable on the lap, and sturdy.

Typing on the new X1’s keyboard feels comfortable, with average key travel; the key resistance, however, was slightly too stiff for my liking. There’s noticeable backlight bleed from underneath the keyboard, though the uniformity of light surrounding each individual key makes me think this was an aesthetic choice, and not a design flaw. As always, keyboard preference is somewhat subjective, but my overall take is that this is a slight step down from the previous model.

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The X1 Tablet at nearly full recline. Lenovo claims that the Surface-style hinge allows typing in three positions, but it’s sturdiest when the keyboard is in this position.

In my mind, however, one of the key selling points for the new X1 Tablet remains the fold-down kickstand. Instead of jabbing your thighs like the kickstands on most other two-in-ones, the X1 kickstand folds down to create a mostly flat surface that supports the rest of the device. You may not be totally satisfied—the cool metal of the kickstand can feel downright chilly on bare skin, and the smooth surface may slide on a desktop—but the ThinkPad X1 Tablet provides a stable typing surface, as long as you don’t recline it too far. Unlike the Microsoft Surface Pro (2017) and some others, the X1 doesn’t try to become a digital easel for content creation. The hinge reclines the tablet comfortably to about 50 to 60 degrees, and that’s it.

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This shot shows the updated row of function keys as well as a traditional, handy ThinkPad feature: the on-screen battery gauge.

Lenovo also reprioritized its function keys, replacing some functions (F10 used to be search, and now triggers the Bluetooth settings). Other icons have been reworked, like F11 and F12, but still trigger Lenovo’s own, comprehensive Lenovo Settings app. Be aware that the bottom row of Lenovo’s keyboard puts the Function key before the Control key on the left-hand side, and not after, a marked difference from most Microsoft and Logitech keyboards.

The new X1 Tablet also sports Lenovo’s iconic TrackPoint, that small red nubbin that serves as a joystick of sorts. There was a time when the TrackPoint—originally designed by IBM—was a virtual necessity, given the relative quality of touchpads at the time. While some touchpads still can’t quite cut it, that’s not the case with the new X1 Tablet. Lenovo’s touchpad is competent, if a tad finicky at registering clicks, providing a nice smooth surface to slide a finger over. Lenovo’s three mouse-like buttons on top of the trackpad are also a legacy feature, although admittedly, selecting text Lenovo-style—one finger on the button, the other on the trackpad or mouse—is still superior to using the touchpad alone.

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Both the iconic red TrackPoint and trackbad buttons remain on the ThinkPad X1 Tablet (2017).

The original Thin Keyboard that shipped with the first-gen X1 Tablet provided two options for attaching the bundled pen: a pen loop that attached to the keyboard via a slot, and a small plastic holder that fit into one of the USB slots. On the second-gen model, it appears that the pen loop is now permanently affixed, and the additional USB holder wasn’t included with our unit. No matter. The loop flops out of the way when used, and holds the pen securely.

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Simple but effective: The fabric pen loop on the ThinkPad X1 Tablet (2017). A bit of the backlight bleed from the keyboard is also apparent here.